From: TSS(216-119-132-20.ipset12.wt.net)Subject: Identification of central nervous system genes involved in the host response to the scrapie agent during preclinical and clinical infectionDate: October 13, 2004 at 1:52 pm PST

Genes that are expressed differentially in the central nervous system ofmice during infection with mouse-adapted scrapie agents were identifiedin this study. cDNA microarrays were used to examine gene-expressionprofiles at early, middle (preclinical) and late (clinical) time pointsafter inoculation. A number of genes that showed significant changes inexpression during the clinical stage of disease were identified. Ofthese, 138 were upregulated and 20 were downregulated. A smaller numberof genes showed differential expression at the early and middle stagesof the disease time course. These genes are interesting, as they mayreflect biological processes that are involved in the molecularpathogenesis of the prion agent. At present, little is known about theearly events in the disease process that trigger neurodegeneration.Perhaps most interestingly, one group of genes that exhibited decreasedexpression in all tested stages of the disease was identified in thisstudy. This cluster included four transcripts representinghaematopoietic system-related genes, which suggests that thehaematopoietic system is involved in the disease process from an earlystage.

Raw data and a hyperlinked version of Table 1 are available assupplementary material in JGV Online.